Central Asia

With Russia's doors increasingly closed due to nationalist tensions, nurses, labourers and bricklayers are now looking to Germany thanks to agreements signed by Berlin with the government in Tashkent. Meanwhile, the Uzbek population is set to reach 40 million, with a severe shortage of jobs at home.

​U.S. sanctions against the oil giant Lukoil are expected to have repercussions in Central Asia as well. The Russian company has announced plans to sell its foreign assets — a major issue for a country like Kazakhstan, which exports 80% of its oil through Russian infrastructure but cannot afford to lose access to Western banking systems.

Beijing's business interests in the region – which have grown exponentially with the war in Ukraine – now exceed $90 billion, twice that of Moscow. China supports trade with the conviction that improving living standards can avert any danger of conflict, as seen with the border agreements between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan

The removal from a monument of the Russian word used to refer to the famine caused by Stalin in the 1930s with the forced abolition of small private farmers has sparked controversy. In present-day Kazakhstan, as in Ukraine, hunger killed millions of people. Behind the formal explanation of the “correction” lies the delicate balance in relations with Moscow.

New accusations against relatives of former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev raise the issue of the cult of personality surrounding local leaders. Azattyk Asia's analysis: “The sudden transformation of the fathers of the nation into figures to be forgotten reflects the very meaning of political loyalty in our region.” The cases of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

The new restrictions introduced by Beijing to control exports of precious minerals essential for sophisticated weapons and artificial intelligence applications raise the issue of deposits in Central Asia. Astana claims to have opened a new mining production line for over 20 million tonnes. But transport and infrastructure shortages make international investment uncertain and risky.

One of the consequences of rapid urbanisation is the proliferation of huge landfills in contexts where only a small percentage of waste is recycled. In Tajikistan alone, over 2 million tonnes of waste accumulate every year, occupying a total of over 300 hectares of land.

In June, MPs in Bishkek – in a decision kept secret for two months – decriminalised the offence of marrying multiple wives. When parliament reopened, President Žaparov referred the measure back for review, calling it humiliating. But polygamy remains a far from rare practice, with unions registered only in mosques, even by prominent figures.

At the Dushanbe summit, discussions developed on the route that would directly connect Russia to India and Iran. Moscow is unable to offer Central Asia the large investments that China and Europe can, but it is trying to catch up in terms of transport and logistics infrastructure.

From the FIFA president to Jennifer Lopez and Andrea Bocelli, the list of international personalities honoured in Tashkent is growing. Uzbekistan is also seeking to exercise a form of soft power at the international level, invariably associating the Mirziyoyev family members with these “personalities”.

The disputed 40 kilometres between the Azerbaijani border and the Nakhchivan enclave through Armenian territory are of fundamental importance for the entire region. The Corridor will not only reunite Azerbaijani territories through Armenia, but will also significantly shorten the entire Eurasian and Trans-Caspian Corridor route, which is essential for transport that must avoid sanctions against Russia.

For the first time in several years, population growth in Kazakhstan is slowing down, and in more than half of the country's regions, especially in the north, the figures indicate a demographic decline. Even in one of the countries with the lowest population density in the world, 63.4% of people live in large cities.